Thigh guard



Dec. -18 i923.

W. T. STALL THIGH GUARD Filed May l2 1922 @wasn Patented Der; i8, i923.

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'ritieni Application filed May 12,

To all wie @met may concern Ee it lrnoivn that l, vll/vnifrnn T. STALL, a citizen ot the United States, residing at Brockton, in the county oi Plymouth and ftltate ot liassachusetts, have invented' new and useful linprcvenients in Thigh Guards, oi:r which the toll Wing isa specification.

This invention relates to thigh guards adapted for use on trousers Worn by players et athletic gaines, to protect the thighs or ohci' portions of the legs.

it is desirable to inalre guards oi this character troni indurated sheet liber, the specific gravity, rigidity and density of this material being such that a relatively thick sheet inay be eniployed, adapted to `resist violentshoclrs and blows Without being indented and punctured, and Without objectionably Weighting the player.

i guard possessing nia:;n uni degree oir' eliiciency should be niade in a single troughshapcd piece, inolded to present a reentrantly curved inner side, conforming approximately to the external shape of the portion oi the Wearers leg or thigh, protected by the guard, and a saliently curved outer side.

A single piece liber guard inolded to a Lrougfh shape, having plain surfaces, is liable l o o warped, or distorted tr its predeteiinined torni, and becoine approximately liat. in other Words, it 1s not sure to retain the desired transverse curvature. l overconie this liability by providing the guard with parallel corrugations, occupying the inajor portions of the guard, and

rendering the predetermined trough-shape pernianent. To provide at the marginal portion of the inner side et the guard a surface free troni the protuberances orined by the corrugations, and adapted to contorni closely to the-marginal portion oi the surtace protected by the guard, l space the corrugations inward from the inargin of the guard, in suoli inanner as to provide a continuous plain-suriacet, marginal portion surrounding the corrugated area, and orniing a riin or seat, to Which niay he stitched a cushioning strip oi4 'telt bearing on the inner side oiu the marginal portion oi the guard. By plain surfaced l ineen devoid ot corrugations, and having the curvature which the entire side surfaces ot the trough-shaped guard Would have posn Y ine :inc Toni-NG coureur, or Baooirron, nassaonosrrrs.

.the guard would be liable to distortion an i sonni).

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sesscd ,if the corrugations had not been torined.

T ie corrugations entend crossvvise of the guard between the longitudinal edges there t ot' so that each corrugation has a longitudinal curvature conforming to the lateral curvature oi" the troughshaped guard, and is, therefore, arched. rlhe arched corrugations i-. art greater rigidity and perinanence o rorni to .the guard than 'would be the case it' the corrugations Were suhstan tially parallel with the longitudinal edges of the troughshaped guard, in which case to heconie lattened by warping, which is not possible when the corrugations extend crosswise.'

the accompanying drawings forming a of this speciiication,

L1 igui l is a iront elevation ci a thigh guard embodying the invention.

nigure 2 is a section on line 2-2 ot Figure l.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3 3 of lVig-:ire l.

The saine reference characters indicate the saine parts all ot the figures.

My in'iproved guard is inade by molding an oblong alato oi" sheet inaterial, such as vulcanized or indurated ber to arch thc guard between its longitudinal edges which are substantially straight and at right angles With the corrugations. The guard is theretore arched between its longitudinal edges to torni a salient outer side and a reentrant inner side. The guard is embossed to forni arched parallel corrugations l2, extending crossivise between the longitudinal edges. rlhe corrugations occupy the niajor portion et the area, and are preferably Within the niargin o1 the guard, so that a plain Asurlaced marginal portion 13 is provided en-v Si' U arched, the eifectiveness of the corrugations as a stiffening and form-retaining means isy great difliculty, and by the application ofV greater force than any to which the guard l is ever subjected when in use, and that the guard cannot lose its predetermined form by warping.'

Ido not limit myself to the plain surfaced marginal portion 13, surrounding the corrugations, although I prefer the same. If desired, the corrugations may extend to the margin of the guard, kin which case the two longitudinal edges of the guard will be corrugated.

.I claim:

1. A trough-shaped thigh guard of fibrous sheet material, arched betweenits longitu? Vdinal edgesV to form a salient outer'side and a reentrant inner side, and provided with arched parallel corrugations extending in the direction of the curvature of the arch, whereby the arched form of the guard is rendered permanent, said reentrantA inner side being formed bygalternating arched conforming closely to the marginal portion of the surface protected by the guard.

In ktestimony whereof I Yhave affixed Vmy I signature.

WALTER T. srALL.A 

